Ayre: Alberto can be Kop idol

Liverpool managing director Ian Ayre expects new boy Luis Alberto to excite the Anfield faithful.

The Spanish playmaker became the club’s third off-season signing on Saturday when he joined from Sevilla on a long-term contract, subject to international clearance.

A return of 11 goals in 38 appearances and 17 assists during a loan spell at Barcelona B last season showed his attacking prowess, and Ayre feels these will make the 20-year-old a real asset to manager Brendan Rodgers.

“He’s a very exciting player and I know Brendan is very excited about it. So hopefully our fans can be too,” Ayre told the club’s official website.

“He’s a player that Brendan identified very early on and the scouting team did a lot of work on watching him.

“After that the hard work started in terms of getting the deal together, both with his club and his agent. We’re always pleased when that comes to fruition.”

Rodgers has wasted little time in strengthening his squad ready for the new Premier League season after completing deals for Alberto, Iago Aspas – an agreement also subject to international clearance – and experienced defender Kolo Toure over the past few weeks.

The no-nonsense transfer approach has been applauded by supporters as well as Ayre.

He added: “I think the praise goes to all those people in the background who do all the hard work on scouting and analysis – and also the manager himself.

“If we identify people early and we identify the positions early, then we can do the work early.

“And throughout this year we have done that; in the January window and in the summer. That will be our game for the future – to be more prepared and execute well.”